Instagrid raises €29M Series B led by Energy Impact Partners
The Instagrid success story continues and reaches the next level. In February 2020, we wrote a groovy story on the €8.5M Series A and how Sebastian Berning and Andreas Sedlmayr launched their mobile battery startup and met their lead investor SET Ventures at Ecosummit Berlin 2019, our 10-year anniversary. Today, we’re happy to break the news that Energy Impact Partners (EIP) leads Instagrid’s massive €29M Series B as the only new investor. With $2B AUM EIP itself is pretty massive, too. Hans Kobler and Matthias Dill invest in Instagrid both from their US and EU funds as they plan to share returns and the mobile battery business opportunity with their global LPs. The Ludwigsburg-based startup provides portable green power to professionals and mobile lifestyle optimisers in all kinds of offgrid situations, including construction sites, ubiquitous events, smart forests or sustainable picknicks in the park enhanced by electric BBQs and powerful sound systems.
Read moreSunvigo raises €10M Series A led by Eneco Ventures
Finding the perfect lead investor is the most important milestone in venture capital financing rounds. In March 2021, we introduced Sunvigo to Eneco Ventures and started another promising relationship. As a result, our ecoportfolio company has successfully closed its €10M Series A led by the corporate VC arm of the Dutch utility. The second new Series A investor is Sparta Capital, a London-based multi-strategy fund with $500M assets under management (AUM) focused on smart green investments decarbonising our economy. The seed investors Übermorgen Ventures, Ecosummit and High-Tech Gründerfonds (HTGF), as well as a private real estate investor that joined in summer 2021, also make follow-on investments in the A round. The Cologne-based startup is a smart solar utility that bundles PV system, battery, asset financing, installation, operations, maintenance and insurance into one simple power contract and electricity tariff for homeowners in Germany, a very useful value proposition when energy prices are skyrocketing.
Read moreEcosummit Berlin 8-9 September 2021
It is our big pleasure to invite you to Ecosummit Berlin 8-9 September 2021, our invitation-only 100% physical conference optimised for outdoor networking – exactly what we missed the most during the pandemic. The amazing agenda presents 83 speakers including 52 startups. We’re super grateful for the support of our wonderful 38 sponsors. Check out our 183 participants and join us to start arranging your meetings at Ecosummit Berlin with the help of Linkedin. Private tickets are available for €2.000 + VAT for investors and €1.000 + VAT for startups and may be ordered by email. If you like the deal, please send us an email to request your invitation to Ecosummit Berlin 8-9 September 2021 telling us who you are and why you want to take part. We look forward to hosting you and accelerating smart green startups together. It’s going to be magic.
Read moreAlantra’s new Klima fund invests in Mainspring
Smart green energy startups in Europe raising Series B or later rounds now have one more financial VC to go to in Madrid. The new late stage VC fund is called Klima (climate in German), focuses on hardware and software startups accelerating the energy transition and achieved its first closing at €80M on 7 June 2021. Klima’s capital is committed by powerful Spanish LPs including the listed investment bank and asset manager Alantra (€18M commitment), the gas corporate Enagás (€30M), the state-owned bank Instituto de Crédito Oficial (€15M), the renewable energy developer Capital Energy (€2M), the German family office Blueworld Group and other undisclosed institutional investors. On 12 July 2021, Klima announced its first investment in Sillicon Valley-based Mainspring, expanding their $95M Series D to $108M together with other investors entering the massive round at the last minute. GP Lucille Bonnet will pitch Klima at Ecosummit Berlin 8-9 September 2021.
Read moreEnergyworx raises €5.1M Series B led by Eneco Ventures
Breaking news at Ecosummit Zoom today: Energyworx raises €5.1M Series B led by Eneco Ventures and with participation of existing investors ENGIE New Ventures, EDP Ventures and SET Ventures. While the round was oversubscribed, Energyworx selected Eneco Ventures as lead investor due to the shared vision and growth strategy as well as a really smooth deal process and fast due diligence. The Dutch startup is focused on cloud-based energy data management for grid operators and retailers, employs a team of 27 and aims at growing at 100% in 2022. Eneco Ventures is standing out among Europe’s Corporate VCs because it already celebrated 3 exits in the first half of 2021 having sold their stakes in Thermondo, Next Kraftwerke and Greenflux. The proceeds of the exits will be invested in new startups of which Energyworx is the first one. Marcel Smit, CEO of Energyworx, first pitched at Ecosummit Berlin 2017 and, most recently, at Ecosummit Zoom 2 September 2020.
Read moreEcosummit Zoom 7 July 2021
This is our last online event before the summer break and Ecosummit Berlin. Let’s connect fundraising startups and active investors at Ecosummit Zoom 7 July 2021, our 15th online event, co-hosted by Gerard Reid and Bart Markus. The agenda presents 12 amazing speakers briefing us on mobile batteries, ecargo bikes, energy flexibility, energy marketplaces, hydrogen production, low-cost fuel cells, energy innovation in Israel, thermal energy storage and smart green corporate venturing: Sebastian Berning (Instagrid, Series B), Hans Cool (Eneco Ventures), Tom Mason (Bramble Energy, Series B), Beres Seelbach (Ono, Series B), James Quinn (Faradion, Series B), James Johnston (Piclo), Richard Lohwasser (Lition Energy, Growth Round), Eran Levy (Enel Innovation Hub Tel Aviv), Doron Brenmiller (Brenmiller Energy), Robert Trezona (IP Group), Johann Boukhors (Engie New Ventures) and Andrés Galnares (H2Site, Series A). Please get in touch if you want to pitch at Ecosummit to accelerate your startup, fund or portfolio. Get your tickets and join us. Let’s co-invest, cooperate and build big startups with big impact.
Read moreLumenaza raises €6.5M Series B from First Imagine and Tom Wolf
Smart green utility-in-a-box: Today Lumenaza announces the successful closing of their €6.5M Series B, led by First Imagine and the family office of Tom Wolf. The existing investors Future Energy Ventures and IBB Ventures made follow-on investments while EnBW New Ventures exited after a holding period of 5 years. The new capital enables the Berlin-based startup to accelerate its growth and international expansion and further develop its energy-as-a-service platform and services. Lumenaza is specialised in enabling new utilities and energy communities. Customers include E.ON, SMA and Envision Digital and partners include Greencom Networks. The software-as-a-service startup pitched at Ecosummit Berlin 2014 for the first time and, recently, at Ecosummit Zoom 3 November 2020 and Ecosummit Zoom 21 April 2021.
Read moreEcosummit Zoom 2 June 2021
Founded in 2010, our mission is maximising our impact until 2030, the global deadline for carbon neutrality. Our goals are 100% electric mobility, 100% renewable energy and 100% sustainable cities. We’re zooming in again on fundraising startups and active investors at Ecosummit Zoom 2 June 2021, our 14th online event, co-hosted by Christoph Ostermann, Gerard Reid and Bart Markus. The agenda presents 11 inspiring speakers: Davor Sutija (Nexwafe) launching Series C, Sergey Ogorodnov (Voltaware) launching Series B, Duncan Grierson (Clim8) launching Series A, Cathal Hughes (BP Launchpad), Mike Popham (Stryde), Anna Björklou (Epishine), Franck Raynaud (MyBus) launching Series A, Peter van Giessel (Shell Ventures), Jochem de Graaf (Travis) launching Series A, Samuel Jansson (Utilifeed) launching Series A and Julia Padberg (SET Ventures). Please get in touch if you want to pitch at Ecosummit to accelerate your startup, fund or portfolio. Get your tickets and join us. Let’s automate sustainability in every industry and build big startups with big impact.
Read moreEcosummit Zoom 12 May 2021
We’re zooming in again on fundraising startups and active investors in smart green energy, mobility and cities. Ecosummit Zoom 12 May 2021 is our 13th online event and features a deep insight into the fast moving Octopus Energy Group as well as an exciting discussion of SPACs vs. conventional IPOs. The agenda presents 10 amazing speakers: Greg Jackson (Octopus Energy), Thomas Koller (Enersis), Petra Sokolova (Inven Capital), Pavel Konecny (Neuron Soundware), Laura Galpin (Blueworld Group), Adam Kostyal (Nasdaq), Krister Werner (Ferroamp), Lucy Kennedy (Spottitt), Nicola Rossi (Enel Green Power) and Dainis Kruze (Aerones). Please get in touch if you want to pitch at Ecosummit Zoom to accelerate your startup, fund or portfolio. Get your tickets and join us.
Read moreEcosummit Zoom 21 April 2021
On my 50th birthday, we meet online to celebrate together the smart green founders and investors writing success stories while saving our climate and planet. It is our pleasure to invite our friends and customers to the very special Ecosummit Zoom 21 April 2021 which is free and invitation-only, just like any other good birthday party. First, 5 impactful speakers unmute themselves to share good news: Ernesto Garnier (Einhundert), Christoph Frei (Emerald Technology Ventures), Christian Chudoba (Lumenaza), Matthias Dill (Energy Impact Partners) and Thomas Goette (Greenpocket). Afterwards, Rune Theill introduces the Rockstart Energy Showcase 2021 featuring 9 new portfolio companies: Bhaskar Deol (eDRV), Roby Moyano (Bia), Joury de Reuver (Soolutions), Christopher Jackson (Advanced Infrastructure), Golam Sadeghnia (OKTO), Rolf Bastiaanssen (Starke Energy), Mads Emil Dalsgaard (Klimate), Christoph Buchli (Helio) and Erik Nijveld (TechnologyCatalogue). Finally, we enjoy a distributed birthday party to foster our friendship and cooperation. Please send us an email to request your invitation to Ecosummit Zoom 21 April 2021. It’s time to make smart green business and have some fun.
Read moreEcosummit Zoom 10 March 2021
We focus on connecting fundraising startups and active investors to foster 100% electric mobility, 100% renewable energy and 100% sustainable cities. Ecosummit Zoom 10 March 2021 is co-hosted by Christoph Ostermann (ex-Sonnen), Gerard Reid (Alexa Capital) and Bart Markus (GAP Technology Holding). The agenda features 10 exciting speakers including 3 CVCs with portfolio pitches: Nils Aldag (Sunfire) building a global hydrogen powerhouse, Jan Lozek (Future Energy Ventures) managing Europe’s largest energy startup porfolio, Nick Woolley (ev.energy) optimising EV charging, Erin Hallock (BP Ventures) investing in game-changing energy startups, Tom Anderson (Grid Edge) providing AI for building energy systems, Nicolas Milerieux (Encevo) redefining smart energy corporate venturing, Arnaud Legrand (Energiency) enabling energy intelligence for manufacturing, Davor Sutija (NexWafe) advancing solar wafer deeptech, Florian Meyer-Delpho (Installion) scaling the installation service provider for the energy transition and Janice Goodenough (Hydrogrid) developing the autopilot for hydropower plants. Please get in touch if you want to pitch at Ecosummit Zoom to accelerate your startup, fund or portfolio. Now it’s your turn to get your tickets and join us.
Read moreEcosummit Zoom 10 February 2021
Our mission is maximising our impact until 2030, the global deadline for carbon neutrality. We focus on connecting fundraising startups and active investors in smart green energy, mobility and cities. We kindly invite you to our 10th Ecosummit Zoom 10 February 2021 featuring 7 amazing speakers, including one of the most successful impact entrepreneurs who is a free business man again, recently rejuvenated and exploring new adventures: Christoph Ostermann (ex-Sonnen) is joined by Simon Koopmann (Envelio) who is launching their Series B, Freerk Bisschop (Rockstart), Michael Peters (Sunvigo), Erin Ericson (Vestemi), Monica Vaksdal (Think Outside), David Hunt (Hyperion Executive Search) and our co-host Gerard Reid (Alexa Capital). Please get in touch if you want to speak at our monthly online events to pitch your startup, fund or portfolio. Our goals are 100% electric mobility, 100% renewable energy and 100% sustainable cities – this sounds like we all have a lot of work to do.
Read moreEcosummit Zoom 20 January 2021
We wish you all a healthy, happy and successful 2021. It’s a new year, a new game and a new chance to make smart green investments, promote your portfolio, find the best startups for open innovation or raise your next financing round. As we don’t have any time to waste to save our climate and planet, we’re very happy to invite you to Ecosummit Zoom 20 January 2021. The agenda features 8 inspiring speakers: Gerard Reid (Alexa Capital), Terhi Johanna Vapola (Helen Ventures), Constantin Schwaab (Wirelane), Pieter Waller (Chargetrip), Luis Orsini-Rosenberg (Gethenry), Michel Hunsicker (EDF Pulse Expansion), Matthias Karger (node.energy) and Michael Niggemann (Enerthing). Bart Markus (GAP Technology Holding) joins the discussion as co-host. Please get in touch if you want to speak at our monthly online events to pitch your startup, fund or portfolio. Our mission is maximising our impact until 2030, the global deadline for carbon neutrality. Our goals are 100% electric mobility, 100% renewable energy and 100% sustainable cities. Let’s automate sustainability in every industry and build big startups with big impact.
Read moreGreenCom Networks raises €12M Series C led by Shell Ventures
Breaking news at Ecosummit Zoom today: Founder CEO Christian Feißt unveils the €12M Series C of GreenCom Networks led by Shell Ventures and supported by new co-investor Energy & Environment Investment (EEI), Japan’s leading smart green VC making its first investment in Europe. With the help of EEI, GreenCom is already working on entering the Japanese market and talking to potential customers. Existing investors Centrica, Future Energy Ventures, Munich Venture Partners and SET Ventures, who all happen to be Ecosummit 2020 sponsors, participate in the new financing round of their portfolio star. The Munich-based company was founded in 2011, employs 65 energy, software and innovation experts, has a very strong management team and enjoys increasing commercial traction. In fact, GreenCom launched its Series C at our first Ecosummit Zoom 6 May 2020 and announced the closing 7 months later at our 8th Ecosummit Zoom 2 December 2020. Celebrating this funding milestone and our productive friendship, Christian just renewed their Ecosummit 2021 sponsorship. That’s the way we like it.
Read moreEcosummit Zoom 2 December 2020
Our mission is maximising our impact until 2030, the global deadline for carbon neutrality. At the end of this challenging year, we want to celebrate a very special online event together with you featuring some of the best founders and investors in our Ecosummit community. You’re welcome to join our 8th Ecosummit Zoom 2 December 2020 and enjoy a preview of our 100% smart green future as well as an inspiring conversation on doing an IPO and being a listed startup. The agenda features 17 fantastic speakers: Leonie Baneke (Eneco Ventures), Christian Feisst (Greencom Networks), Marco Beicht (Powercloud), Frank Schlichting (Kiwigrid), Joris Jonker (THE FCTR E), Thomas Öström (Climeon), Adam Kostyal (Nasdaq), Marc Fischer (Total Carbon Neutrality Ventures), Frederico Gonçalves (EDP Ventures), Andreas Stubelius (Swedish Energy Agency), Mamoun Taher (Graphmatech), Andres Anijalg (Roofit Solar), Liliane Ableitner (Exnaton), Simon Daniel (Moixa), Andrew Mack (Octopus Energy Germany), Michael Wilshire (Angel) and Robert Trezona (IP Group). Our co-hosts are Gerard Reid (Alexa Capital) in the morning and Bart Markus (GAP Technology Holding) in the afternoon. Please get in touch if you want to speak at our monthly online events to pitch your startup, fund or portfolio. Let’s automate sustainability in every industry and build big startups with big impact.
Read moreEnergiency raises €4.5M Series A led by Encevo
Ecosummit startups are startups that pitched at least once at Ecosummit. Ecosummit investors are investors that have at least one Ecosummit startup in their current portfolio. Today the Ecosummit startup Energiency announces its €4.5M Series A led by the Ecosummit investor Encevo. At the same time, we get one more assist because CEO Arnaud Legrand first met VC Analyst Quentin Dupraz at Ecosummit Paris on 6 March 2018. The French startup and the Luxembourg utility speak the same language and quickly found out that they not only understand each other but also have similar ideas for developing joint business opportunities in the industrial energy market. As Nicolas Milerioux and his team are on the mission to expand corporate venturing and open innovation, Energiency turned out to be a really good match for Encevo’s strategy and portfolio.
Read moreSolar data manager Solytic raises Series A from EWE and Vattenfall
Data is key and enables new business models. The more data you have the better. This is also true in the solar industry and that’s why solar data manager Solytic is a hot startup these days. We’re happy to break the news that Solytic celebrates the first closing of its Series A raising almost €5M from new investor EWE and existing investor Vattenfall, 2 of the top 5 utilities in Germany. As a result, Vattenfall owns a bit more than 20% and EWE a bit less than 20%. The A round was also joined by 3 business angels led by ex-Goldman Sachs banker Frank Oliver Lehmann. EWE’s impressive investment manager Justin Müller met Solytic’s Enrico Ohnemüller and Vattenfall’s Alexander Hain on 16 May 2019 at Ecosummit Berlin and learned that Solytic was planning a new round. As EWE is transforming into a smart green utility that believes in the power of data and wants to grow its renewable energy business, the Berlin-based startup immediately looked like a good strategic fit and smart investment. In fact, Solytic is open to talk to new investors providing strategic value because the next financing round is already planned.
Read moreMobile battery pioneer Instagrid raises €8.5M Series A led by SET Ventures
They take mobile electricity where it has never gone before. Their goal is smart green electrification without local CO2 emissions. Their solution is replacing stinky diesel gensets with silent mobile batteries. Today Instagrid makes a big step forward and celebrates the closing of its €8.5M Series A led by SET Ventures and joined by Segnalita Ventures, part of the Swarovski family office which also owns Tyrolit, Germany’s early stage power house HTGF and the Frankfurt-based family office blueworld.group. At the same time, this transaction boosts our Ecosummit track record of successfully matching startups and investors. In fact, Instagrid and SET Ventures met for the first time at Ecosummit Berlin 2019. While this sounds very romantic, the A round is a major milestone for every startup and the beginning of a long-lasting relationship with many board meetings and follow-ons until the M&A or IPO exit.
Read moreEnvelio raises €6M Series A from Ecapital, HTGF and Demeter
Today Envelio announced the successful closing of its €6M Series A led by Ecapital and joined by the existing investors HTGF and Demeter that both increased their share more than pro rata. Envelio is an Ecosummit startup as we like it. Co-founded in 2017 by 5 PhDs and researchers at RWTH Aachen, the German smart grid startup first pitched at ECO18 Berlin and then opened its Series A on 15 May 2019 on stage at Ecosummit Berlin. This was the start of 2 busy days for Envelio’s Founder CEO Simon Koopmann running through a myriad of hot VC meetings including the first deal flow conversation with Ecapital’s Hannes Schill.
Read moreSmart green startups you should know
Our deal flow is on YouTube. We’re happy to present the best smart green startups in energy, mobility and cities that pitched at Ecosummit in the past on Ecosummit TV: Dendra Systems, Solar for Schools, First Light Fusion, Thermondo, Tado, Greencom Networks, Discovergy, Moixa, Instagrid, Blixt, Climeon, Sunfire, Electrochaea, Volocopter, Lilium, BlaBlaCar, Cityscoot, Vulog, Forsee Power, Sigfox, Kiwigrid, Origami Energy, Exeger, Epishine, Fos4x, DEPsys, Lumenaza, Gridx, ENIT Systems, Envelio, Ubitricity, Devicepilot, Skeleton Technologies, Cosmo Tech, Metron, Surfcleaner, Sunna Design, Agrilution, Airlabs, Ekwateur and Clevershuttle. These startups represent exciting investment opportunities with environmental, financial and strategic returns for (C)VCs and family offices. All of them work hard to create big climate impact and many of them have the potential to become smart green unicorns made in Europe. Pitch at Ecosummit Berlin to tell your startup growth story and increase the quantity and quality of the term sheets in your next financing round.
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